Tammy Logan is the author of Gippsland Unwrapped, a blog committed to the pursuit of plastic free living. Based in Gippsland, Victoria Tammy combines her experience in conservation biology and community engagement with her dairy farming roots, to deliver a humble and honest approach to plastic free family life. Tammy’s passion for plastic free living started with the Plastic Free July challenge and since then she has been a woman on a waste reduction mission who loves to share her findings with the World! She is proof that participating in a seemingly small education scheme can have a big impact on your personal empowerment towards sustainable living.

Have you ever had a moment in your life where everything changed? I had one of those moments when I discovered Plastic Free July, which is to refuse all single-use plastic for one month as a way of raising awareness about the amount of environmentally damaging plastic in our lives. I’d never heard of PFJ until the day I decided to do it, and I had no idea at the time that this decision would be so defining. But it was. Completing PFJ was exactly what I needed. My craving to do more for the environment was satisfied, and my goal to establish environmentalism as a family value was bolstered. Importantly for me, I could achieve these goals without financial investment, and without taking time away from my family. I simply learned to shop differently and make a few things myself. I finally realised I could do something about a problem that I had recognised for a very long time, but which I’d previously thought I couldn’t do anything about.The PFJ experience was so empowering that I now live every day plastic free and I have redirected my career to pursue my passion, my blog Gippsland Unwrapped. I have changed the way others around me consume and I have connected with many other like-minded people from around the world. I am the perfect example of how committing to a month long educational challenge can have lasting and profound impacts. Of course, not everyone will have the same experience, but it is possible this could be you too, so why not give it go.

Three Tips for a successful Plastic Free July

Once you have decided the parameters of your personal challenge, tell people what you are doing. It’ll be great to have their support but also, putting it in writing on your social media channels will increase your commitment and desire to succeed.

List the plastic things you want to refuse, then in a second column ask yourself if you really need each item. If you do, identify a plastic free alternative for your next shopping trip. Some plastic free replacements might involve making it yourself or changing the way you shop. I found this exercise helped me focus and use my energy wisely.

When it comes to changing behaviours, we can talk all we like about the benefits, but if you don’t identify the barriers to changing your behaviour and how you can remove them, you will continue to hit road blocks. For example, a barrier for refusing plastic shopping bags might be that you keep forgetting to bring reusable bags with you. Now that you have identified that, figure out some ways to make remembering them easier, like always keeping bags in the boot of your car or leaving yourself a note on your shopping list. You will know what works for you.

A keen sailor our friend Tessa became concerned about the problem of plastic water bottles polluting rivers and decided to do something about it. We asked her a few questions to find out what she decided to do about it.

Tell us how you became aware about the problem of plastic pollutionI can’t remember when or how I started noticing plastic pollution exactly, but it’s always been in the back of my mind since I was about 8. My family have always had an interest in environmental issues but leaning towards the conservation side of things, rather than the pollution. I’ve been more concerned about the pollution problem because it is something terrible that humans are completely responsible for. Recently I’ve become very aware of the amount of plastic water bottles the I lose while sailing. Every time we capsize the two bottles in our boat will fall out and float down the river while my skipper and I are too busy to notice. I started mentioning this to other people and it seemed like I was the only sailor who had noticed this issue and was concerned about it.

What did you decide to do for your school project and how did you do it? A project had come up at school and I decided it was the perfect time to take some action on my new discovery. I decided to make a raft out of recycled plastic water bottles and sail it along part of the Swan River to raise awareness, especially to young people, about the plastic pollution in our river and oceans. I made the base of the raft out of 120 used plastic bottles that I had been given or collected. I used a piece of poly pipe as a mast and attached an old sail of mine to it. Sadly, the day I had chosen to sail was windless so I had to paddle the raft with a kayak paddle but I kept the sail up so I was visible. I launched from East Fremantle Yacht Club where I sail and I got about half way across the river before the mast fell over and I had to turn back. Now I am creating some posters with information about the plastic pollution problem and how people can help, and telling the story of what I did. With the help of the organisation Millennium Kids I will exhibit the posters and the boat at libraries around Perth.

What would you like other young people to know?I think a lot of young people have no idea about the severity of the plastic pollution problem. Those that do know don’t know of any solution or alternative to the plastic products they use that are at a reasonable price. I think young people need to know what is out there that they can use. I also think they need to realise that it is ok to have these products, like keep cups, and that its ok to be the one saying “I don’t need a lid on my coffee”, or “I don’t need a bag” or “I don’t want a straw”. I would like young people to be able to say these things and not be written off as “hippies”.

Have you discovered any solutions/alternatives to the water bottle problem?I’ve already started using a reusable water bottle that I tie to the boat when I’m sailing and I take my own water bottle with me a lot of the time when I go out. I haven’t used a single use plastic bottle since I started the project.

This interview is based on a series of questions we asked Sarah Rhodes when she contacted us to discuss ideas on how to how to take the plastic free message to Cambodia.

How did you come to realise single-use plastic was a problem?It's been a gradual realisation; from knowing at a young age that it was bad to litter, to gathering the knowledge about why it's so bad for our environment. Last year when I was introduced to Plastic Free July; I realised that despite no shopping bags (these were banned in South Australia years ago!) and no disposable coffee cups (following a no keepcup, no coffee policy), there was still a lot that I was using where alternatives were available.

You are now living in Cambodia, what are the most common types of disposable plastic?Interestingly Cambodia isn't vastly different to the rest of the world; it's just intensely noticeable here because the rubbish/waste management system is limited to major cities and even then is still in the early days of operating.Plastic shopping bags are used to excess, often for one item or an already packaged item. Straws! Oh my, Cambodians love a good straw, maybe 2 for good measure and certainly a fresh straw for each new drink! Plastic cups for ice coffee (or hot coffee!) and plastic water bottles are also in high volume - the last one is difficult because there is no suitable drinking water - however, locals are less the culprit here that tourists in my opinion.What are you trying to do in Cambodia and how are you working in another culture?I want to teach Cambodians how to look after their home; through their own actions and the expectations on tourists - around 2.5 million tourists come to Siem Reap each year and that's a huge volume of plastic they chomp through while they're here. Plastic is relatively new to Cambodia and many Cambodians consider it modern and love to be able to package things for their customers using this modern magical stuff! There also seems to be no differentiation between non-biodegradable and biodegradable waste so they dispose of it in the way they've always disposed of waste in the paste - throw it on the side of the road - which was fine for pandan leaves and banana leaves...I'm working hard to adapt to and respect the local culture and for PFJ Cambodia, I am working on recruiting a passionate Cambodian partner (or two!) for the project. I've also made posters in English and Khmer language to attempt to involve everyone, not just expats and tourists.What do you personally find the hardest plastic to refuse? Definitely straws. The first phrase I learned in Khmer was how to say I don't want a straw. Cambodians are very good at following instructions and the pecking order is that you follow what you boss tells you, not what the customer may ask. Initially I thought I was pronouncing it wrong, now I've learned I need to be able to explain my rationale better and hope that more people will start to understand why plastic isn't good for us.

This blog takes comes from an interview we did with Danielle Kirk about her Plastic Free July challenge in 2013.

1. What form of challenge did you do for Plastic Free July?I’ve been conscious for some time of how much plastic I use in my daily life so I decided to cut out all single-use plastics, including: plastic cutlery, cups and plates; styrofoam cups and plates; disposable coffee cups and their lids; straws; disposable plastic packaging (for example, choosing loose fruit, veg and nuts rather than the packaged kinds and, if I bought processed foods, opting for those in cardboard or paper packets); plastic bags; plastic bottles. I pretty much avoided all of your “top four” plastic items — and then some. After all, Plastic Free July is a challenge! I did not, however, have a 100 per cent success rate … but I definitely cleaned up some of my habits. I’ve also been much better at avoiding plastics since July, which is important.2. Tell us one important change you made.Well, I go through phases where I get a takeaway coffee a day and, even though I generally bring my own travel mug, I used to forget. And still get a takeaway coffee. During Plastic Free July, I took to keeping my travel mug in my handbag and was actually given a second one — woohoo! — so I kept that in my gym bag. This way, I had a mug on hand when I decided to get a coffee. It’s such an incredibly simple thing to do but it really helped to nix the coffee cups. I did the same thing with my reusable shopping bag and that helped me avoid plastic bags.3. What was the hardest plastic to avoid?Packaging, without a doubt. I don’t buy much processed food but even “wholefoods”, like nuts, often come in plastic bags. It’s pretty crazy how much plastic packaging is out there. There’s a little sushi shop near where I work and each and every sushi roll is wrapped in plastic — so much waste! That’s why it’s great to have groups like you guys doing awareness-raising events like this — we all need to start thinking about how to cut down on our resource consumption.4. How did other people react to you going plastic-free?They thought it was awesome! At the same time, though, most people said things like, “Wow, I could never give up using plastic – it’s everywhere! I’d forget!” And so I did a fair bit of talking during the month, just trying to spread some awareness about how much plastic we use in our daily lives and how easy it is to give it up. It’s just about making conscious choices, after all.

Somewhere Beyond Plastic.Well we got here so lets celebrate! This is my third PFJ and definitely my most successful so far bar the plastic labels on the beer bottles and the plastic under the wine bottle lid, grrr ! Yes this time instead of waiting until Aug 01 to dash back to the shops for all the things I’ve done without, I’ve decided to continue on my plastic free lifestyle. I have even started to make my own skincare products; it’s not that difficult. Being plastic-free has made me slow down and go back to doing all the things I love, and had almost forgotten, like making my own yoghurt, jam, chutney and sprouts, and making soda bread on a Saturday evening listening to RTE Radio with the rain falling outside, bliss ! I now purchase only at Farmer’s Markets and Mannas. I bid fare well to our local Aus. wide grocery emporium monopoly holders Mr C and Mr W. Needless to say they were both very upset, Mr C went down on bended knee and begged, implored, beseeched me to stay and poor Mr W just broke down in tears. ‘No’, I said emphatically. ‘I’m not coming back. Most of your food is sealed in plastic and it is flavourless. I want real food, real cheese from a farm, real veg from the earth and real crusty bread ’ ‘But I gave you the Macro Organic range Mr W wailed. ‘Yes that was a good product’ I replied.’ but you packaged it in industrial strength plastic. I believe that food has to breathe. Your plastic packaging gets worse every year. Goodbye!’ I grabbed my hessian bag, sent the trolley careering down the middle of the isle, clicked my heels together, the doors opened and I left. I think that’s the only thing I will ever miss about supermarkets, the magic doors. So now I’m really enjoying my plastic free and TV free life. When the latter went digital three months ago I did not join in. Instead of watching second-rate cookery shows and not the Funniest Home Videos I view when I please and the big grey plasma power-guzzling box no longer dominates my free time. Well I never went plasma; mine was early 90’s little fatty! I can now boast that the other night I watched a youtube broadcast on ‘The Meaning of Language’ by the great daddy of linguistics Professor Noam Chomsky, and fell asleep! Sorry I digress, yes PFJ well we are at the end and its time to celebrate. For this you will one pair of tap dancing shoes, magic powers optional, and a real shopping bag, see illustration above, shoes 30 years old bequeathed by Mammy T. So put on your dancing shoes, place bag on head, do some groovy moves up and down kitchen, and sing at the top of your voice;

I always wanted to do a year of ‘Compacting’ (buy nothing new for a year) …but that’s exactly what happened, I always ’wanted’, but never did. So when Plastic Free July came along I thought: “Brilliant, that’s going to be a breeze. After all, I am one of the Founders of the Two Hands Project. I got my reusables sorted!

Well… this is my dilemma bag last year and I only did one week...

What stood out was clearly that I didn’t have all my reusables sorted! And those tetra packs from the Soymilk! – I knew there would be heaps over the year. Also the contact lens packaging made me sad, as I can’t seem to come up with a solution (glasses are sadly not an option for me) All the other bits were clearly avoidable quite easily.

Back to the Soymilk –TETRA packs: easily solved!! Ever seen a ‘soymilk maker’? I am HOOKED! And the tiny amount of ( organic Soybeans needed! – what a saving every time you make soymilk! I AM IN LOVE with this MACHINE! Pictured is the actual amount of soybeans needed for 1 litre! (bottle isn’t full because I had my coffee already)

So why the title? – Well girls, if you are doing this challenge for a month… you might be stuck with some questions that you aren't sure who to ask… fret no more: Mooncup. It’s silicon. Once done for the month you sterilise it by boiling it a few minutes. It’s yours for life. Best thing ever. Yes, it takes a week to get used to and trust it, but that was no different when you tried your first tampon. And with the MoonCUP it just ‘catches’ rather then absorbing. So it is much better for your natural balance… no more thrush.

For those that are not convinced, on average one woman will use over 11,000 tampons or pads in their lifetime, of course all single use, which will end up in landfill or in the sea.

Whilst we are with the Girls themes… How to organise a plastic free HENS send off?? I ‘highly’ (pardon the pun) recommend to send her off with style: “ High Tea” ( this one at Sydney’s famous Queen Victoria Building) …came with sparkling wine… that’s plastic free too.

So on the day after Hens and all that sparkling you maybe craving some COFFEE…but PLEASE, don’t buy into those coffee pods! For me they were just silly, expensive, wasteful and I didn’t even like the coffee!! And then I visited Paul who was helping at the Fremantle waste audit and that’s when I realised that they are a much bigger issue: there isn’t anywhere to put them: metal or compost?? So unnecessary.

About the author:Silke Stuckenbrock, is the co-Founder of the Two Hands Project Inc.; an organisation that encourages people to take 30 minutes to use their two hands to clean up any place any time.

The same rules that I use to achieve a Zero Waste lifestyle can be applied to eliminate plastics from your life: Simply follow the 5R's IN ORDER:

REFUSE SUP's: Say no to Single Use Plastics, such as plastic bags and disposable tableware. You can also avoid food packaging by purchasing food from bulk bins, using your own cloth bags. Locate your nearest bulk locations, using my smartphone app, BULK.REDUCE: your belongings: Let go of those plastics that you do not need. Donating them, puts them back on the market and makes them available to others, so they do not have to buy new.REUSE: by buying secondhand and replacing your disposables with reusables: For every plastic disposable item out there, a durable and reusable alternative exists. Double edge razors are great alternatives to the throw-away kind for example.RECYCLE: Buy secondhand as much as possible but when you must buy new choose metal, glass, or cardboard, which can be recycled over and over (plastics get only recycled once at best and the end product is destined for the landfill)ROT: If you compost and adopt a Zero Waste lifestyle you automatically eliminate the need for rubbish bags. Also, stay away from compostable and biodegradable plastics. They only confuse consumers (and recyclers!) and end up tainting the recycling stream. Therefore when metal, glass or cardboard materials are not available for the new products that you purchase, choose wood or natural fibers which are truly compostable.

About the author:

Bea Johnson is the author of Zero Waste Home. Since embarking on the Zero Waste lifestyle, Bea's life and that of her family has completely changed... for the better.

Six years ago, I was like most people -- requesting double plastic bags at the grocery store, buying bottled water, living on processed convenience foods in plastic packaging, and not really worrying about where all that packaging came from or where it was going to end up. It was not until I read an article about plastic pollution in the ocean and saw a photo of a dead albatross chick whose body was completely full of everyday plastic pieces, that I realized my personal actions actually mattered -- that my choices had an impact on creatures I hadn't even known existed. I decided to see if it would be possible to live without acquiring any new plastic -- either disposable or durable plastics -- and to measure my plastic footprint by collecting the plastic waste I generated.

Back then, living plastic-free was harder than it is now because there wasn't so much information available about plastic-free alternatives. I took it slow, one step at a time, and as I used up items packaged in plastic, I would try and find substitutions.

Here are the easiest steps I took right off the bat:

Bringing my own reusable shopping bags and always having at least one with me at all times -- just in case. (Once, my husband and I ended up carrying fresh fruit out of a store rolled up in our shirts -- just like the guy in the Plastic-Free July video -- because we had forgotten our reusable bags while on vacation. But that just helped us remember the next time.)

Getting a stainless steel water bottle and quitting bottled water. (Back in the 80's, we said that Evian was "naive" spelled backwards. Who would pay for water in a plastic bottle?)

Ditching liquid soap and switching back to bar soap. (I say switching back because liquid soap is a fairly recent invention.)

Buying my produce "naked" instead of putting it in a separate plastic produce bag just to carry it home. (My apples and oranges have yet to get in a fight from touching each other in transit.)

Here are some cool ideas I discovered along the way:

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (which can be purchased in a glass bottle) are miracle substances that can be used for everything from household cleaning to personal care (shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, tooth brushing, and more.) Using baking soda as deodorant is one of my favourite money-saving discoveries and works better than any commercial deodorant I have ever tried.

In addition to solid hand soap, there are solid or dry versions of many different personal care products -- lotion, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, laundry soap -- and that switching from liquids to solids or powders can reduce the need for plastic packaging.

I can make a lot of my own processed foods that normally come in plastic -- things like yogurt, ketchup, mustard, chocolate syrup (my favorite!) -- and not only avoid plastic but also a lot of the preservatives and other chemicals in processed foods.

When I truly need a durable plastic item, I can look for it secondhand rather than buying it new from the store. This saves the energy and plastic that would have gone into a new item, as well as the excess packaging that would have come with a new item.

When faced with a decision, I can take the time to decide if something I think I want right now is something that will really make me happy in the long run. Or is it just more "stuff" that would end up cluttering my life anyway?

I'm still learning these lessons. Back in 2007, I bought a brand new soy milk maker, thinking that it would save many disposable cartons (cardboard cartons coated inside and out with plastic). I used it a few times, and then it ended up sitting on my counter, taking up space and not doing any good to anyone, until just this week I posted it for sale on Craigslist. Living with less plastic teaches us what is really important in life -- and that most of us only really need just a few things to be happy.

Several years into my plastic-free experiment, I realized I had accumulated enough information for a book, and that the hardest part of going plastic-free is researching all the many alternatives that are out there. I had also learned a ton of stuff about plastics -- how they are made, the truth about plastic recycling, why they may all be dangerous to our health (including those labelled BPA-Free), and the pros and cons of things like silicone and bioplastics. So I wrote Plastic-Free to give other people the guide book I wished had existed back in 2007 when I was first getting started. And I was lucky to find a publisher that was committed to creating the book without any plastic materials -- no plastic coatings or thread or even glue. The book is available everywhere books are sold -- including Australia! -- and is also available now as an e-book and soon as an audiobook (I've been spending my weekends in a recording studio reading the book and even adding updates as I go along.) Many libraries have the book too (although ironically, they are all covering it in protective plastic covers.)

Finally, after 6 years of working to reduce my plastic use, I feel like my actions are part of a movement vastly bigger than myself. Events like Plastic-Free July blow me away. Imagine, an entire country trying to reduce its plastic use for an entire month. I want to help the momentum of Plastic-Free July spread across the globe -- or at least to my corner of it. Kudos to all of you. I'm honoured to be a part of this effort.